Modern Art Ideas & Techniques for the Canvas
If you are looking for modern art ideas to use for canvas painting, there is no limit to what you can do and the artistic feats you can achieve. Modern art focus on expressive, abstract and often experimental painting. Breaking out of the boundaries of traditional fine art, the modern art movement developed from 1860 through the 1970s with increasing popularity, to the point where today entire art schools and art museums are dedicated to the style.
Patterns
The natural world is filled with vast varieties of patterns that can lend inspiration and innovation to your modern art. According to Jonathan Milne, art teacher and author of "Go! The Art of Change," patterns are filled with meaning and paradox, and they help you to identify and recognize aspects of the world around you. Look around nature to find patterns: spider webs, leaves, hills, clouds, ripples, tree rings, snake skin, mushroom rings and fingerprints are just a few examples. Try applying these patterns to canvas by scraping or landscaping thick oil paint using a palette knife, using turpentine to thin and wash away paint or printing patterns into the paint using dried leaves, fingerprints, bits of cloth, rocks, etc.
Tools
While most canvas art is traditionally created using painting brushes and palette knives, in modern art you are encouraged to think outside the box and explore the different materials that can lend originality to your art. Simple objects around the house can be applied to create interesting effects in paint – try using sponges, bubble wrapping, pieces of cloth, rubbish bags, pieces of string, etc. A fresh sprig of rosemary can be used to splatter arrays of color onto a canvas, while a crumpled bit of paper dipped in paint can create an effect that looks multidimensional and textured. When practicing modern art, feel free to experiment and test the boundaries of what you can do with art.
Multimedia
Break out of using paint by applying different materials to your canvas. According to Lisa Cyr, artist and author of "Art Evolution," creating paintings with unconventional and unorthodox media breathes new life and new vitality into art. Paintings that work to collage different materials together on a single canvas help to create strong tactile and sensory experiences. Different materials that can be applied to canvas include old black and white photos, pieces of newspapers, old posters or advertisements, dried leaves, flowers, seashells, textured fabric, etc. Natural plant materials must be dried well to prevent molding, but most of these materials can either be taped or attached with PVA glue to canvas.
Shapes
Modern canvas paintings do not always have to include textures and layers of materials and mediums – one of the popular concepts of modern or conceptual art is flatness. According to the Art Story Foundation, conceptual flatness began in the early 20th century with a focus on volume, perspective and three-dimensional images, often involving geometrical shapes like cubes, spheres and triangles. Kandinsky and Mondrian are two of the better-known practitioners of this art movement. Without attempting to depict any particular picture, pay special attention to shapes, sizes and edges. Paint shapes that are too large for the canvas to completely convey, or even shapes so small that large portions of the canvas are still left bare.
Patterns
The natural world is filled with vast varieties of patterns that can lend inspiration and innovation to your modern art. According to Jonathan Milne, art teacher and author of "Go! The Art of Change," patterns are filled with meaning and paradox, and they help you to identify and recognize aspects of the world around you. Look around nature to find patterns: spider webs, leaves, hills, clouds, ripples, tree rings, snake skin, mushroom rings and fingerprints are just a few examples. Try applying these patterns to canvas by scraping or landscaping thick oil paint using a palette knife, using turpentine to thin and wash away paint or printing patterns into the paint using dried leaves, fingerprints, bits of cloth, rocks, etc.
Tools
While most canvas art is traditionally created using painting brushes and palette knives, in modern art you are encouraged to think outside the box and explore the different materials that can lend originality to your art. Simple objects around the house can be applied to create interesting effects in paint – try using sponges, bubble wrapping, pieces of cloth, rubbish bags, pieces of string, etc. A fresh sprig of rosemary can be used to splatter arrays of color onto a canvas, while a crumpled bit of paper dipped in paint can create an effect that looks multidimensional and textured. When practicing modern art, feel free to experiment and test the boundaries of what you can do with art.
Multimedia
Break out of using paint by applying different materials to your canvas. According to Lisa Cyr, artist and author of "Art Evolution," creating paintings with unconventional and unorthodox media breathes new life and new vitality into art. Paintings that work to collage different materials together on a single canvas help to create strong tactile and sensory experiences. Different materials that can be applied to canvas include old black and white photos, pieces of newspapers, old posters or advertisements, dried leaves, flowers, seashells, textured fabric, etc. Natural plant materials must be dried well to prevent molding, but most of these materials can either be taped or attached with PVA glue to canvas.
Shapes
Modern canvas paintings do not always have to include textures and layers of materials and mediums – one of the popular concepts of modern or conceptual art is flatness. According to the Art Story Foundation, conceptual flatness began in the early 20th century with a focus on volume, perspective and three-dimensional images, often involving geometrical shapes like cubes, spheres and triangles. Kandinsky and Mondrian are two of the better-known practitioners of this art movement. Without attempting to depict any particular picture, pay special attention to shapes, sizes and edges. Paint shapes that are too large for the canvas to completely convey, or even shapes so small that large portions of the canvas are still left bare.
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